Track and Field World Championships 2011: Top 10 Moments, Video Highlights

The IAAF World Championships in Athletics 2011 in Daegu, South Korea, produced some amazing moments, and these are the moments that will be remembered.

Amazing performances, shocking moments and light-hearted snippets, everyone will remember the championships for a different reason.  We take a look at the 10 most memorable moments from Daegu.

The Honourable Mention

The World Championships in Daegu were full of great moments, and picking out the best was difficult.

Many moments failed to reach the top 10, with other incidents or events getting in just ahead of them.

Notable exclusions include the women's marathon, where Edna Kiplagat was accidentally tripped by a teammate before leading home a Kenyan sweep; Dai Greene of Britain edging a close 400-meter hurdles final; and Usain Bolt taking victory in the 200-meter final (see video).

If your favourite moment was left out, let me know. However, for now, here are the top 10 moments of the World Championships 2011 in Daegu. 

10. A Huge False Start

We start off the countdown with a big false start, but not the one you were thinking!

So we are all well used to seeing false starts in the short sprint events—but the marathon?  On the first day of competition, the women's marathon got off to a very quick start.

A little too quick, actually.

The commentary is in French and I have no idea what they are saying, but I'm pretty sure the athletes and officials at the start line also had very little idea what was going on!

9. Sally Pearson's 100-Metre Hurdles Win

Australian Sally Pearson lit up the championships in Daegu when she won the 100-meter hurdles in a blistering 12.28 seconds, setting a new championship record.

Pearson would not have been happy to see her face on the cover of the daily programme in Daegu on the day of the race.  In the first eight days of the championships, every track and field athlete to feature on the programme had failed to win their respective event (the only exception was women's race walking champion Olga Kaniskina).

After her victory Pearson ran over to the sidelines and stamped on a copy of the programme, killing the "cover curse" of Daegu. 

8. Pole Vaults Snap Mid-Flight

The pole vault never fails to provide spectacle as the world's best propel themselves almost six metres up in the air using nothing but a bendy carbon pole.

On Day 3 of the competition, Russian Dmitry Starodubtsev showed the world that things don't always go to plan as his pole snapped and sent him crushing upside down onto the mats.

What's more impressive is that Starodubtsev was not the only athlete to get a surprise in the pole vault.  Czech vaulter Jan Kudlicka also suffered the same fate earlier in the competition.

Luckily both men were not badly injured in their respective incidents. 

7. Women's 400-Metre Finals

Amantle Montsho became the toast of Africa when she became the first ever athlete from Botswana to win a medal in the World Championships.

The main challenger to Montsho, who finished last in the 2009 final, was American Allyson Felix.

The pair were drawn in neighbouring lanes and the pair battled all the way round the track.

In the end, three-time 200-metre world champion Felix was just beaten over the line in a thrilling finale that saw Montsho win by just three hundredths of a second.

6. Jeter Finally Wins Gold

Carmelita Jeter finally won a global gold medal at the World Championships in Daegu.

The fastest woman in the world has never made it to the Olympics and has settled for bronze in her two previous visits to the World Championships.

Jeter was joined in the final by a truly world-class field, with Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and Kelly-Ann Baptiste all having strong seasons.  

Jeter won in a time of 10.90, whilst her main rivals all finished finished together with just one hundredth of a second between second and fourth place.  

Even after the finish line Jeter was unsure of the victory. Watch for the moment the result is confirmed on the big screen!

5. Farah Wins Britain's First Ever Distance Gold

After being agonisingly close to gold in the 10,000 metres Mo Farah had to settle for silver.

Not content with that silver, Farah continued his quest to become the first British man to win a global gold medal in a long distance event.

Having left the UK to train in America, Farah has set the world alight and went into the 5,000 metres as the man to beat.  With the field all watching him, and Bernard Lagat shadowing his every move throughout the race, Farah had it all to do in the final lap.

With most of Britain watching, Farah roared home ahead of friend Lagat to cement his title as the greatest British distance runner ever.

4. Robles Disqualified in 110-Metre Final

Dayron Robles, Liu Xiang and David Oliver are the three fastest hurdlers there have ever been, and until Daegu they have never raced together in a major final.

The race was one of the most anticipated of the championships and lived up to its expectations with a thrilling finish and the eventual disqualification of winner Dayron Robles.

One of the longer videos, but it shows the relevant replays, as Robles and Xiang clash over the final two hurdles.

In the end American Jason Richardson was awarded the gold medal after he initially finished second, but the race will be remembered for the disqualification of Robles. 

3. Bolt DQ'd

This was the controversial moment of the games.  Usain Bolt—world-record holder, Olympic and world champion, global superstar—false starts in the 100-metre final.

With Daegu being the first major games to implement the "no second chance" rule, Bolt was disqualified from the race and the spectators were denied the opportunity to see the fastest man in the world defend his title.

Bolt was not the only champion to see red; Olympic 400-metre champion Christina Ohuruogu also false started in her heat and missed out on the chance to add a world title to her name.

2. USA Wins Tenth 4x400 Title

In one of the most exciting races of the championships, LaShawn Merritt came from behind to snatch gold from South Africa and give the United States its fourth consecutive world title in the event.

Having trailed Jamaica and South Africa for the whole race it seemed Merritt would not be able to get ahead after he was boxed in heading to the final straight.  But the American pulled off an astonishing side shuffle before powering ahead to take victory.

The race also made the news for another reason.  Double amputee Oscar Pistorious, who ran in the heats for South Africa was left out of the starting four, but still became the first ever paralympic athlete to win a medal in an able-bodied event. 

1. Jamaica's 4x100-Metre World Record

What a finale.  In the final race of the championships the Jamaican team set the first world record of the championships, beating its own best to take victory in the 4x100-metre relay.

Usain Bolt was joined by 100-metre champion Yohan Blake as well as Nesta Carter and Michael Frater.  The quartet ran a perfect race, with Bolt bringing home the baton to set a new world record of 37.04 seconds.

At the final handover, disaster struck for the American team as Darvis Patton fell in spectacular fashion, but the Jamaicans were already so far ahead it didn't make any difference to Bolt, who danced his way round a victory lap.

A fitting finish to a wonderful championships.  Well done, Daegu.